Muscle aches and pains are common and can involve more than one muscle. Muscle pain also can involve ligaments, tendons, fascia (the soft tissues that connect muscles), bones, and organs. Muscle pain is most frequently related to tension, overuse, or muscle injury from exercise or physically-demanding work. In these situations, the pain tends to involve specific muscles and starts during or just after the activity and may persist if not treated appropriately.
Muscle pain also can be a sign of conditions affecting your whole body, like some infections (i.e. the flu) and disorders that affect connective tissues throughout the body (i.e. lupus). One common cause of muscle aches and pain is fibromyalgia, a condition that includes tenderness in muscles and surrounding soft tissue, sleep difficulties, fatigue, and headaches.
In the case of muscle pain from overuse or injury, a patient may attempt to treat the muscle by resting that part of the body or by taking an anti-inflammatory medication such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen. Other treatments may include applying ice to the injury to reduce pain and inflammation. The application of heat to the affected area may also be used to soothe the injured muscle. Muscle aches from overuse and fibromyalgia may respond well to massage. Gentle stretching exercises after a long rest period may also be helpful. However, there are many injuries where such remedies will not be helpful and will need the expertise of a physical therapist, chiropractor, or the like. Such a medical professional may be able to facilitate the healing of injured muscles by applying the appropriate pressure above or below the injury in order to: facilitate healing to the injured site by focusing a stretch to the injury; or by reducing tension around the injury, thereby allowing the injury to heal better due to relief from duress. All this in order to relax muscle tension and promote healing, for example.
Many people such as weightlifters, runners, and athletes in general, or non-athletes that have musculoskeletal injury, constantly have muscle aches and pains. The treatment regimen of shortening a muscle, applying pressure to an affected area of the muscle, and then lengthening the muscle is a proven muscle treatment technique that is well known within manual medicine. While medical professionals may apply this technique to patients, it is difficult and cumbersome for patients to perform self-treatment using this technique, especially on parts of the body that are difficult to reach with one's own hands. In addition, it is not always feasible for a patient to seek the aid of a medical professional every time he or she has a muscle strain or serious injury that needs treatment.